A Guide for Using Across Five Aprils in the Classroom [Paperback]

Dona Herweck Rice (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 3, 2004

A literature unit to use while reading Across Five Aprils.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Teacher Created Resources (November 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576903338
• ISBN-13: 978-1576903339
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #440,130 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #14 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Professional & Technical > Education > Lesson Planning
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Literacy
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Education > Education Theory > Classroom Management

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent historical novel, April 9, 2008

By 

home school parent (Santa Cruz, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide for Using Across Five Aprils in the Classroom (Paperback)

I am sorry to hear that several readers who have written reviews of this book consider it a difficult book or, as one reviewer stated, a novel that only a "genius" could understand. Perhaps those readers mistakenly chose this book for a 5th grade U.S. history reading level instead of an 8th grade U.S. history reading level. It is not appropriate for a 5th grader unless the student is a very advanced and sophisticated reader. There are many details about the Civil War era discussed in this book in such a way that it seems the author expects the reader to be familiar with the topic--at least the basics! I don't think it is an appropriate novel for a student to read unless he or she has received some basic instruction in and understanding of the timeline and political events from 1860 to 1865. I doubt that such political and historical material is covered in the standard 5th grade U.S. History curriculum. However, such material should definitely be covered in most textbooks and curricular materials for 8th grade U.S. History, the grade level for which this novel seems to be appropriate. Irene Hunt's novel, Across Five Aprils, takes place in Illinois, a state that considered itself a "free state" in the pre-Civil War period. However, the Creighton family (the characters who are the focus of the novel) includes some members who are staunch defenders of the North and others who are less sure of the moral high ground of the free states and therefore choose to fight with the Rebel cause instead. The book does an excellent job of illustrating the impact of such a decision on a family whose sons turned against the North no matter how many other sons they had fighting for and giving their lives for the Union cause. This is a complex book that encourages readers to ask questions about which side (North or South) was right and which was wrong during the Civil War. Across Five Aprils is essentially a coming of age story combined with a historical consideration of the main themes and events of the Civil War--a brutal war that brought out the most heroic as well as the basest instincts in people. Many tragic events befall the Creighton family, but their courage and endurance in the face of four years of horrible war is admirable. I really liked the members of the Creighton family. All of them change--some for the better, some not. The emotional lives of the characters are believably depicted so that their actions are understandable. A bonus in my opinion is the consistent attention that the author pays to the setting with her great descriptive language about seasons, the surroundings, and the weather. All in all, a fine book for an 8th grade U.S. History curriculum or for someone familiar with the Civil War and its cultural/historical significance.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Across Five Aprils, April 5, 2008

By 

Karla A. Long (New Berlin, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Guide for Using Across Five Aprils in the Classroom (Paperback)

There was a wide selection of differentiated projects and integrated the historical fiction aspect of the novel with facts from the Civil War. It helped the students to understand the war more thoroughly and relate to the way of life in the era. I did not like the tests in the book. There were mostly facts and rote memory and provided little higher level application or analysis of the novel. Overall, it helped to save me time, which is why I purchased it. You really should have a teacher write the tests and plan the projects and someone just supply the research to them. karla long

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Across Five Aprils, May 17, 2000

By 

Andy (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Guide for Using Across Five Aprils in the Classroom (Paperback)

This is a very good book and the writer has great taste, it is boring at first though. I know that i wouldn't want my book to be talked bad about, so I will say that you should definitely get this book, but don't expect something right off the bat. Read it and about in the middle, it'll get good!